System of delivering mail between aeroplanes and vessels



W. GRUNOW. SYSTEM OF DELIVERING MAIL BETWEEN AEROPLANES AND VEssELS'. APPLICATION man OCT. 22. 1919. 1,357,861. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

PATENT OFFlCE.

WILLIAM GRUNOW, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SYSTEM OF DELIVERING MAIL BETWEEN AEROPLANES AND VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed October 22, 1919. Serial No. 332,554,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GnUNow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Delivering Mail Between Aeroplanes and Vessels, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing andto the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a system of delivering mail from an aeroplane or other flying boat to a vessel which is proceeding at full speed at sea or vice versa.

An object of the invention is to provide a system of delivering mail to a vessel from an aeroplane without endangering the wireless outfit or the superstructure of the vessel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system of delivering mail from an aeroplane to a vessel wherein the mail is stored in a carrier which floats upright and is non-sinkable, so that said carrier maybe readily picked up if not properly delivered to the vessel or to the aeroplane.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically and in front elevation, the vessel and the aeroplane at the timethe castline is thrown across the deck of the vessel.

Fig. 2 is a view showing, more or less diagrammatically, the vessel. and the aeroplane in plan view in full lines, and in dotted. lines the position of the aeroplane after the carrier for the mail has been released and dropped into the water.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the carrier for the mail, and

Fig. l is a detail showing the holder on the aeroplane for the carrier.

The invention is directed. broadly to a system of delivering mail from an aeroplane or other flying boat to a vessel which is proceeding at full speed at sea, and. said system consists in directing the aeroplane alongside of the vessel, and at or near the horizontal plane of the deck of the vessel, and also in a direction in which the vessel is moving. Said aeroplane approaches the vessel from by a suitable manually releasable means.

After the cast-line has been fired across the vessel and secured by those on the vessel, then the manually releasable holder is released and the carrier which has been attached to the cast-line is dropped into the water and said carrier may be quickly and readily pulled aboard the vessel. On the other hand, if the mail is to be delivered from the vessel to the aeroplane, then the carrier is attached to the end of the cast-line which is fired across the deck of the vessel and the carrier throwin into the water and pulled aboard the aeroplane.

The carrier consists broadly of a non-sinkable, upright floating, hollow body portion which is watertight, and in which the mail is placed. The mail matter fills only a portion of the carrier and is held by suitable means at the lower end thereof so as to weight down the lower end of the carrier and thus cause the mail to float in upright position with a considerable portion of the carrier above the surface of the water. 'The carrier may be painted a suitable color so as, to attract attention, andtherefore 1f there is a failure to properly deliver the mail, and the carrier is lost, it will float upright in the water-and be readily seen so that it can be. picked up by a passing vessel.

, Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have shown in Figs. ,1 and 2, more or less diagrammatically, a vessel 1 which is travcling in the direction of the arrow. I have I also indicated in these figures an aeroplane or other flying boat at 2. The path of travel of the aeroplane is indicated by the broken line and the direction of movement by the arrow in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the aeroplane is traveling in the same direction as the vessel, and approaches the vessel from the rear and at a greater speed than the vessel. Mounted on the framework oi. the aeroplane is holder 3, having a suitable releasing catch 4 on which the carrier for the mail matter is suspended. The

. catch 4 slides in a bar 4" and a spring 4 moves said catch to the right as viewed in Fig. 4. A hand lever 4 connected by a link to the catch is adapted to move the same against the tension of this sprlng.

Supporting arms 4 are adapted to engage the holder and hold thesame in a'horizontal position. The catch 4 hooks into the lug 5 mounted on the carrier. It will be firing, and when the aeroplane is alongside of the deck of thevessel, and at or near the horizontal plane of the deck, said gun is fired, and the cast-line shot across the deck, following the path indicated by the dash line in Figs. 1 and 2'. It will be noted that this path of the end of the cast-line is well below the wireless and other overhead parts of the vessel so that these parts are not in any way disturbed. The forward deck of the vessel may be cleared for the purpose when the cast-line is to be fired across the same. As soon as the cast-line has been'secured by those on the vessel, then the catch 4 is released, and the carrier5fdropped into the water as indicated at y in Fig.- 2.

' The cast-line may be pulled into the vesseland the carrier brought aboard. I On the other hand, if the mail matter is on the ves sel and it is desired to deliver the mail to the aeroplane, then the cast-line is attached to the holder 3' and the end fired across the vessel is secured to the carrier 5, and the carrier then dropped into the water. The

cast-line is pulled in by those on the aeroplane, and the carrier brought aboard.

'One form of the carrier is shown more or less in detail inFlg. 3 of the drawings.

Said carrier 5 consists of a hollow cylindrie Y cal body having a welghted lower end 9.

he mail matter .is placed in .a. suitable bag indicated at 10. It will be noted that the mail matter only fills the lower half of the carrier. At the upper end of the carrier there isa cover 11 which makes a watertight connection with the body portion of the sea and pulling the carrier by the carrier will float upright partially sub 7 merged. Said carrier may be painted any desired color to attract attention and will float with the upper end thereof extending well above the surface of the water. The cover is held down on the body portion by means of a suitable swinging bail14 to which the I-bolt 7 is attached. The carrier is provided with a metal ring centrally thereof which carries perforated lugs 5 above referred to. This carrier per '86 forms no part of the present invention, but is shown, described and claimed in my copending application, Serial Number 332,- 555, filed on even date herewith.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrange-V ment-of parts may be'made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in' the appended cl aims.

Having thus described'the invention, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Let ters-Patent is:

1. A system of delivering mail between 7 an aeroplane and a vessel comprising placing the mail matter in a non-sinkable, upright floating carrier, directing the aeroplane alongside of the vessel at or near the horizontal plane of the deck of the'vessel" and in the direction of movement of the vessel, firinga castdine acrossthevessels deck, to which cast-line the carrier is attached, and then dropping the carrier into the waterand pulling the same in by means of the cast-line. V

2. A system of delivering mail from an aeroplane to a vessel proceeding at full speed at sea comprising placing the mail in a non-sinkable, upright floating carrier, at taching said carrier to a manually releasable holder on said aeroplane andv to a cast line, directing the aeroplane alongside of the vessel at or near the horizontal plane of the deck and in the direction of movement of the vessel, firing the cast-line across the vessels deck, then releasing the holder for the: carrier and dropping the carrier into aid of the cast-lineinto the vessel. 5

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM GRUNOW. 

